80 i south africa del uxe i beauty & health perfume i 81€¦ · i always knew my mother was in...

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science of scent The art and Perfume Photos: © Piet Filmalter e creation of a perfume is both a science and an art, and choosing a scent is deeply personal. Aroma is evocative. In French, the word for “to smell” is sentir. It’s hardly surprising that the same word also means “to feel” . I always knew my mother was in the room by the scent of Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door or, later, Estée Lauder’s Beautiful. I spent many childhood afternoons playing dress-up in my grandmother’s scarves and gloves, which smelled faintly of 4711 Original Eau de Cologne by Maurer & Wirtz. I would fill her empty bottles with water and line them up proudly on my windowsill, feeling very sophisticated. Yet I never really used to think about perfume until I read Molly Birnbaum’s biography, ‘Season to Taste: How I lost my sense of smell and found my way’. Suddenly, a door was opened and I began to appreciate the history, art and allure of perfume. Birnbaum was about to begin studying towards becoming a chef when she was involved in a horrific accident and lost her sense of smell due to head injury. Her book chronicles her journey towards recovery as she begins to understand the critical role that smell – a generally underrated sense – plays. She embarked on a visit to Grasse, France, considered the historical centre of the modern fragrance industry and the setting for Patrick Süskind’s novel, ‘Perfume’. Grasse originally produced leather goods during the Middle Ages. The smell of its numerous tanneries permeated the air. To combat this, the villagers perfumed their products, in particular the leather gloves. These became enormously fashionable. Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, loved the gloves and their scent so much, that in 1553 she established a laboratory in Grasse for the sole purpose of producing fragrance. She wanted France’s perfumes to rival the popular scents from the Arab world. “Soon, Grasse’s fragrances became even more celebrated than the items on which they were doused,” writes Birnbaum. “The microclimate of the elevated town located twelve miles away from the stifling heat of Cannes and Nice, proved perfectly suited for the growth of such fragrant flowers as jasmine, rose, and lavender. Today, two-thirds of the natural aromas from France are produced in Grasse’s factories before being shipped around the world.” In 2002, the Grasse Institute of Perfumery, a perfume school that teaches the art and science of scent to aspiring perfumers, was established. Here, students learn to memorise the scents of the raw materials. There are more than 2000, some natural and some laboratory-created. According to Perfumers World, they can be categorised broadly as essential oils and extracts (usually zero to 30 percent of a perfume compound), animal products (zero to 0.1 percent) and aroma chemicals (70 to 100 percent). “A perfumer often knows the materials so well, that he or she can imagine the scent of bergamot like the way most can easily conjure and silently sing the melody to ‘Happy Birthday’ without humming a note,” explains Birnbaum. These talented architects of scent also need to know how each raw element reacts to others. While some offer an initial burst of 80 I SOUTH AFRICA DELUXE I BEAUTY & HEALTH perfume I 81

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Page 1: 80 I south africa deL uxe I bEauty & hEalth perfume I 81€¦ · I always knew my mother was in the room by the scent of elizabeth Arden’s Red door or, later, estée lauder’s

science of scentThe art and

Perfume

ph

otos

: © p

iet

Film

alte

r

The creation of a perfume is both a science and an art, and choosing a scent is deeply personal.

Aroma is evocative. In French, the word for “to smell” is sentir. It’s hardly surprising that the same

word also means “to feel”.

I always knew my mother was in the room by the scent of elizabeth Arden’s Red door or, later, estée lauder’s Beautiful. I spent

many childhood afternoons playing dress-up in my grandmother’s scarves and gloves, which smelled faintly of 4711 Original eau

de cologne by Maurer & Wirtz. I would fill her empty bottles with water and line them up proudly on my windowsill, feeling very

sophisticated. Yet I never really used to think about perfume until I read Molly Birnbaum’s biography, ‘Season to Taste: how I lost

my sense of smell and found my way’. Suddenly, a door was opened and I began to appreciate the history, art and allure of perfume.

Birnbaum was about to begin studying towards becoming a chef when she was involved in a horrific accident and lost her sense of

smell due to head injury. her book chronicles her journey towards recovery as she begins to understand the critical role that smell

– a generally underrated sense – plays. She embarked on a visit to grasse, France, considered the historical centre of the modern

fragrance industry and the setting for patrick Süskind’s novel, ‘perfume’.

grasse originally produced leather goods during the Middle Ages. The smell of its numerous tanneries permeated the air. To combat

this, the villagers perfumed their products, in particular the leather gloves. These became enormously fashionable. catherine de

Medici, Queen of France, loved the gloves and their scent so much, that in 1553 she established a laboratory in grasse for the sole

purpose of producing fragrance. She wanted France’s perfumes to rival the popular scents from the Arab world.

“Soon, grasse’s fragrances became even more celebrated than the items on which they were doused,” writes Birnbaum. “The

microclimate of the elevated town located twelve miles away from the stifling heat of cannes and nice, proved perfectly suited

for the growth of such fragrant flowers as jasmine, rose, and lavender. Today, two-thirds of the natural aromas from France are

produced in grasse’s factories before being shipped around the world.”

In 2002, the grasse Institute of perfumery, a perfume school that teaches the art and science of scent to aspiring perfumers, was

established. here, students learn to memorise the scents of the raw materials. There are more than 2000, some natural and some

laboratory-created. According to perfumers World, they can be categorised broadly as essential oils and extracts (usually zero to

30 percent of a perfume compound), animal products (zero to 0.1 percent) and aroma chemicals (70 to 100 percent).

“A perfumer often knows the materials so well, that he or she can imagine the scent of bergamot like the way most can easily

conjure and silently sing the melody to ‘happy Birthday’ without humming a note,” explains Birnbaum.

These talented architects of scent also need to know how each raw element reacts to others. While some offer an initial burst of

80 I south africa deLuxe I bEauty & hEalth perfume I 81

Page 2: 80 I south africa deL uxe I bEauty & hEalth perfume I 81€¦ · I always knew my mother was in the room by the scent of elizabeth Arden’s Red door or, later, estée lauder’s

fragrance and then quickly fade, others linger and develop more slowly on the skin. chandler Burr, journalist, author, and curator

of olfactory art, established the world’s first department of olfactory art, at the Museum of Arts and design in new York city. he

explains that each perfume contains top, middle and bottom notes. In a perfume guide for Oprah, he says, “It's all about molecular

weight. A perfume freshly sprayed on your arm is like a box of balloons of different sizes that's just been opened. The balloons lift off

from your skin; the first ones that zip up and hit your nose are the top notes, the smallest and lightest (citruses, powdery scents, or

light florals). And then they're gone. next to come off your skin are the middle notes, the medium-weight molecules (heavier florals,

most often). The last to lift off (and they cling to your skin) are the base notes, the heaviest (smokes and leathers).”

This is why it’s important to wear a scent on one’s skin and for a few hours when buying perfume. This allows you to properly test

its performance before purchasing. Top notes disappear quickly,

so a light scent like Un Jardin en Méditerranée by hermès will need

to be reapplied more often than a heavier fragrance like Ambre

narguilé, also by hermès.

Today, the art of perfume extends beyond the scent itself to

include its packaging, marketing and brand. perfume bottles

themselves have become works of art, and highly collectable. Marc

Rosen, award-winning cosmetic packaging designer and founder

of Marc Rosen Associates, has worked with the likes of Karl

lagerfield, Oscar de la Renta, Burberry and chloe. he has recently

published a book titled, ‘glAMOUR IcOnS perfume bottle design,

examining the history of perfume bottles, their place in society

and their inspirations’. Including some of his own work, as well as

that of other top designers, Rosen explains the process behind

each bottle. For example, my mother’s old favourite Red door was

ph

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: © p

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designed around the history of the elizabeth Arden brand. “Ms. Arden had

started the Red door salon before she ever had a cosmetic line, in 1908,”

Rosen explains. “The Red door fragrance was to echo the spas. every Red

door salon in the world has a bright-red panelled door and an arch over it.”

This is mirrored in the iconic bottle. Bottles also reflect human history and

trends. For example, the striking yet simple bottle created by louis Süe

for Jean patou’s Joy was ideal for its marketing campaign.

during the austerity of the early 1930s, Joy was advertised as “the world’s

costliest perfume”. The bottle was a perfect blend of severity and luxury.

It was created by henri Alméras for Jean patou as an extravagant answer

to the stock market crash in 1930 that sparked the great depression.

perfume remains a booming business, and not just for high-end fragrance

houses. South African born entrepreneur Sue phillips runs a successful

custom scent business called Scenterprises in new York. her company

is a bespoke perfumery that creates custom scents for private clients,

as well as environmental scents. This entails “scent branding” for specific

spaces, such as hotels or retail stores. She also offers expert witness

services, advising on fragrances in legal disputes.

While developing new scents remains a priority, there are some classic

scents that remain popular.

An example is Jicky by guerlain, first developed in 1889, yet still in demand

today, proving that while scent trends may come and go, many aromas

will always remain attractive. Tamara Oberholster

When choosing a scent, bear in mind the difference

between parfum (more concentrated) and eau de

toilette (less concentrated).

Remember that perfume has a shelf life, so

hoarding that last bit in the bottle is not the best

strategy. perfume deteriorates in direct light and

in heat (so don’t store your scent bottles on the

windowsill like I did with my grandmother’s). In

fact, chandler Burr recommends keeping your

perfumes in the vegetable crisper drawer of your

fridge.

don’t “clutter” your scent. Often, people wear a

fragranced deodorant and /or moisturiser that

clashes with or detracts from their perfume.

Rather opt for fragrance-free deodorant and

lotion to keep your fragrance “pure”.

have a special occasion scent. Smells can

transport us back to different times and places

immediately and spark memories you thought

you’d forgotten. Keeping a scent for special

occasions is one way of upping the ante for

those events. It also means that you can turn to

your special sense when you’re in dire need of a

mood boost, as it will have positive connotations

attached.

Understand which “fragrance families” appeal

to you. Scents are divided into groups, including

fresh, floral, Oriental and woods (or chypre).

Fresh scents include citrus, marine, “green” and

fruity notes. Floral scents encompass jasmine,

gardenia, rose, orange blossom, lily of the valley

and numerous other flower scents. Oriental

scents are rich and exotic, and generally a bit

heavier. They include notes of spices, resins,

incense and amber, among others. Wood scents

include aromatic wood and moss notes, ranging

from sandalwood to cedarwood and patchouli.

Getting the most from your perfume

82 I south africa deLuxe I bEauty & hEalth perfume I 83